Instrument for holding appliances while heated



R. 'H. W. STRANG. INSTRUMENT FOR HOLDING APPLIANCES WHILE HEATED.

APPLICATION FILED MAR, 12. 1921.

1,415,414, Patented May9, 1922.

a? iv 28 QINVENTOR WW. 7%

BY I

ATTORNEY T 0 all whom it may concern.

snares stares ears ROBERT STRANG, OF BRIDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT.

INSTRUMENT FOR HOLDING APPLIANCES WHILE HEATED.

Be it known that I, ROBERT E. IV. STRANG, a citizen of the United States, residing at Bridgeport, county of Fairfield, State of Connecticut, have invented an Improvement in Instruments for Holding Appliances \Vhile Heated, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to the preparation and adjustment of the wire arches used by Orthodontists in the treatment of malocclu- SlOIl. anchored at its ends by means of attaching devices or buccal tubes secured in fixed position to teeth at opposite sides of the jaw at the rear of the mouth, the intermediate portions of the arch, which is composed of resilient material, engaging or being secured to the teeth to be moved so as to eXerta yielding pressure thereon in the desired direction. These arches must, of course, be suitably shaped to fit the requirements of the individual case, must, in manyinstances, havewhich purpose, as well as to permit the attachment, removal or readjustment of the pins or other tooth engaging elements, it must be heated, after which operations it must be restored to its resilient condition, as

by tempering. During the operation of thus adjusting an arch, as well as in its original preparation, it is desirable that the general shape of the arch be-retained in order that it may properly fit the mouth for which it is intended without considerable adjustment or manipulation at the time of being placed in position. It is alsosometimes desirable-that this general form be changed to spread or contract the arch without changing the relativev angular positions of its ends.

The present invention has for its object to provide a device for holding such an arch during the various operations of heating, annealing, tempering, bending, or otherwise adjusting. the same, as well as during the attachment, removal, or replacement of the Specification of Letters Patent.

An arch of this character is usually Patented May 9, 1922.

Application filed March 12, 1921. Serial No. 451,848.

tooth engaging pins thereon, which device will support the arch in a suitably elevated position with its intermediate portion free to be'heated and to receive the necessary adjustments or other manipulations, said device holding the arch in a position closely corresponding to its position in the mouth'by means of holding members which engage the ends of the arch and which are substantial duplicates of the buccal' tubes by which the ends of said arch are normally anchored in the mouth, said holding members being sup ported in such a manner as to permit the same to be relatively moved while preserving their relative angular positionsor approximate parallelism, so as vto permit the arch to be spreador' contracted without otherwise'materially affecting thesame.

With the foregoing and other objects in view I have devisedthe novel work holding 7 device which I will nowv describe, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawin'gs, in

which: 7 s

F g. 1 1s a perspective v1ew, on a somewhat enlarged scale, of the complete device.

Fig. 2 is a greatly enlarged vertical section of the support for'one of the arch holding members, the latter being shown in elevation,

10 denotes-a bar having at one enda fixed or rigid arm 11extendingsubstantially at right angles thereto and a rigid supporting foot 12 disposed substantially at right angles to said bar' and arm. 13 denotes aslide mounted for longitudinal movement on said bar 10 and held in adjusted position thereon by a set screw 14, said slide having a ri id or integral arm 15 and a rigid or integral supporting foot 16 similar respectively to the arm 11 and foot;12. The bar 10 is of non circular cross section, being preferably flat- V tenedon its upper and lower faces, and the. slide13 is provided with a correspondingly shaped openingto receive said bar, whereby said slide is held against turning on said bar, with its arm 15 and foot 16 parallel respec-.

tively to the arm" 11 and foot. 12.

, The arms 11 and'15'are provided at their forward ends with preferably integral, vertically disposed, tubular supporting members 17 by which are adjustably carried in,

an elevated position the members 1 8 for holding the ends of the arch19. The members 18 are of tubular form, and are subwhich the ends of the arch. are secured to the anchor teeth in the mouth of the patient, said members being provided with integral supporting stems disposed substantially at right angles thereto. Each stem 20 terminates at its lower end in a ball 21 which is seated in a socket 22 formed on the inner surface of an upper end portion 23 of the corresponding supporting member 17, said end portion having an outwardly flared opening 2% to receive the stem 20, thereby permitting a universal adjustment of each holding member 18 with respect to its support 1?. The balls 21 are held seated in the sockets 22 by means of followers 25 having depressions to engagesaid balls, said followers being forced upwardly to clamp said balls and thereby hold the members 18 in adjusted position by means of screw plungers 26 having threaded engagement with the interiors of the tubular supports 17 and provided with upwardly projectingfingers 27 which engage said followers. The followers are retained against accidental escape from the tubular supports 17 by means of bushings 28, also in threaded engagement with the interiors of said supports, and having central, openings through which the fingers 27 extend. The screw plungers 26 are provided with operating stems 29, preterably formed at their lower ends with transverse handle portions 30 whereby said plungers may be conveniently turned to release the members 18 for purposes of adjustment or to clamp the same in adjusted position. The stems 29 and handles 30 also constitute feet upon which the tubular supports 17 rest, said feet supporting the forward ends of the arms 11 and 15 the rear ends of which. together with the bar 10, are supported upon the feet 12 and 16.

In operation the slide 13 is adjusted upon the bar 10 into such a position as to set the holding members 18 at a distance apart corresponding substantially to the distance separating the buccal tubes in the mouth of the patient, the clamping devices for the balls 21 are released. and the ends of the arch are inserted into said holding members, which are thereby caused to assume relative positions closely corresponding to the relative positions of said buccal tubes. The clamping devices are then tightened, causing the arch to be supported in a position substantially identical with that assumed by it in the mouth of the patient. The arch while in this position may then be heated for the purpose of annealing or tempering the same, may be bent or otherwise adjusted in order to make whatever minor changes in configuration may be required, or the tooth engaging cleats, spurs or pins 31 may be soldered thereto at the required points or removed therefrom, all without materially cl'ian. ;ing the general shape of the arch or the relative positions of its ends, thereby permitting the necessary adjustments to be accurately made, and enabling the arch to be placed in the mouth of the patient without special readjustment for that purpose. Should it be desired to spread or contract the arch, this may be done without disturbing the relative angular positions of the holding members 18 by releasing the set screw 14 and moving the slide 18 along the bar 10.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A device of the character described comprising a pair of tubular arch holding members adapted for insertion of the ends of a. tooth regulating arch, and supports by which said members are adjustably carried adapted to permit said members to hold said arch in a position to permit its intermediate portion to be heated and manipulated.

2. A device of the character described comprising a pair of tubular arch holding members having rigid stems, supports for said members, and ball and socket joints connecting said stems and supports.

3. A device of the character described comprising a pair of tubular arch-holding members, supports for said members, and a bar by which one of said supports is rigidly carried, the other of said supports being adj ust-ably mounted on said bar.

1-. A device of the character described comprising a pair of tubular arch holding members, supports on which said members are adjustably mounted, and a bar to which one of said supports is fixed, the other of said supports being adjustably mounted on said bar. I

5. A device of the character described comprising a pair of holding members, supports for said members, a bar by which said members are carried, and supporting feet carried by said bar and supports 'r'espectively upon which said device rests.

6. A device of the character described comprising a pair of holding members, suppertsfor said members, a bar to which one of. said supports is fixed, the other of said supports being adjustably mounted on' said bar, and supporting feet carried by said supports and bar respectively upon which said device rests.

7. A device of the character described comprising a pair of tubular holding members, supports for said members, a bar to which one of said supports is fixed, a slide adjustably mounted on said bar, and an arm on said slide by which the'other of said supports is carried.

8. A device of the character described comprising a pair of holding members, sup ports for said members, a bar to which one of said supports is fixed, a slide adjustably mounted on said bar and by which the other of said supports is carried, and supporting feet carried by said bar and slide respectively upon which said device rests.

9. A device of the character described comprising a pair of holding members, tubular supports for said members, ball and socket joints connecting said members and supports, and clamping devices for saidball and socket joints to hold said members in ad justed position'on said supports, said clamping devices having'operating portions constituting feet upon which said device rests.

10. A device of the character described comprising a pair of tubular holding members, supports for said members, ball and socket joints connecting said supports and members, a bar to which one of said supports is fixed, and a slide adjustably mounted on said bar and bay which the other of said supports is carrie 11. A device of the character described comprising a pair of holding members, tubular supports for said members, ball and socket joints connecting said members and supports,'clamping devices for said ball and socket joints to hold said members in adjusted position on said supports, a bar to.

which oneof said supports is fixed, a slide adjustably mounted on said bar and by which the other of said supports is carried, said clamping devices having operating portions constituting supporting feet upon which said device rests, and other supporting feet for said device carried by said bar and slide respectively.

12. A device of the character described comprising a pair of tubular holding members, supports for said members, a bar having a fixed arm by which one of said supports is carried, a slide adjustably mounted on said bar, and an arm on said slide disposed substantially parallel to the arm on said bar and by which the other of said supports is carried.

13. A device of the character I described comprising a pair of holding members, supports for said members, a bar having a fixed arm by which one of said supports is carried, a slide adjustably mounted on said bar, an arm on said slide disposed substantially parallel to said first named arm and by which the other of said supports is carried, andsupporting feet for said device carbers, supports for said members, means for" connecting said supports, means connecting J the members to thesupports and adapted to allow universal adjustment of the members i thereon, and means for securing'the members inadjusted position.

16. A device of the character described comprising a pair of tubular holding members, supports for said members having uni versal connection therewith, means for securing the members in adjusted position on said supports, supporting means connecting c the supports and allowing'relative adjust ment of the supports, and means for securing the supports in adjusted position.

17. A device for holding tooth regulating arches comprising non-clamping holding members for the sides of the arch, supports for said members having adjustable connec-v tion therewith, and means for securing the holding members in adjusted position;

' In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

ROBERT H. w. STRANG. 

